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The city agreed to end these cases from 2012, but the council president has suggested such settlements should come out of the Police Department's $475 million budget.

A police-involved shooting is among those cases settled. It happened three years ago in the 1200 block of Oak Hearst Place near Rigs Avenue, in west Baltimore.

According to police, a man was ordered to put down a butcher's knife. The man moved slowly toward a patrol car, and the officer inside shot through the windshield, striking the man in the abdomen.

The man eventually dropped the knife after police told him several more times to do so. As part of the explanation for the settlement, the city mentions the plaintiff has a mental illness and considering conflicting facts, legal concerns and jury unpredictability, the city decided to pay up.

"Every time you see a settlement it's alarming, but you can't just be alarmed. You have to do something about it," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

The city has also agreed to pay another $130,000 to end two others cases from 2012 involving violation of rights and misconduct claims. One case involved officers pulling over a man in the 4500 block of Harford Road. He sued, claiming the officers searched his car and conducted an invasive search of his body looking for drugs, finding nothing.

The mayor said it angers her to spend taxpayers' money in this way, but she said the focus on reforming the Police Department is paying off.

"I am very focused on reforming the department, and the fact that we've seen reductions in police brutality complaints, excessive force complaints and the number of lawsuits proves that out," Rawlings-Blake said.

City Council President Jack Young has disapproved of the city just paying. He suggested the settlements should come out of the Police Department's budget, believing that will lead to more accountability.

"I'm open to discuss it," Rawlings-Blake said.

The Police Department tells 11 News it had 231 complaints in 2012, 175 complaints in 2013 and 137 last year.

Currently, there are 75 complaints, and that is 10 fewer than at this same time a year ago.